RE-BUILDING BRIDGES IN COSTA RICA: A THREE-WAY

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000071 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC, WHA/EPSC, PM AND EEB, SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR FPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CS EAID MASS PGOV PREL SUBJECT: RE-BUILDING BRIDGES IN COSTA RICA: A THREE-WAY PARTNERSHIP REF: A. SAN JOSE 003 ¶B. SAN JOSE 1891 (NOTAL) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In an unusual three-way partnership, the GOCR, the Costa Rican private sector and the U.S. military have embarked on a campaign to replace key bridges damaged or washed out by flooding in the heavy 2007 rainy season. Most of the work will be undertaken by the National Emergency Commission (CNE) and a new business group called "Businessmen for Solidarity" (Empresarios Solidarios),which will combine forces to replace as many as 30 short-span and culvert bridges. The U.S. role, begun by a SOUTHCOM technical survey in December, will be to help the GOCR erect as many as six Bailey-type bridges. President Arias requested USG assistance for the initiative. Following the successful medical exercise last month (Ref A),this is another example of a new Costa Rican willingness to welcome U.S. military humanitarian assistance. END SUMMARY. ================== A BAD RAINY SEASON ================== ¶2. (U) The 2007 rainy season (May-December) was particularly heavy in Costa Rica, prompting the GOCR to declare a national disaster in October. Communities in all seven provinces were affected by flooding, which isolated communities, damaged homes and infrastructure, and displaced thousands (Ref B). In light of the disaster, the Embassy made available $50,000 in OFDA disaster assistance for emergency supplies and fuel. In mid-November, the CNE reported that some 18,000 people had been affected overall, with 18 killed and nearly 2,900 left homeless. The CNE initially estimated that 124 major stretches of road and 29 bridges had been washed away or severely damaged. Total damages at that time were estimated at 35 billion colones ($70 million). As revised information became available, the CNE later raised the tally to 135-160 bridges and culverts washed out or damaged nationwide. Infrastructure damage was so extensive, in fact, that one of the first tangible results of Costa Rica,s newly-established diplomatic relations with China was $20 million in disaster relief funding from Beijing, delivered in mid-December, which will go towards housing reconstruction (septel). ============================== THE PRIVATE SECTOR MOVES FIRST ============================== 
¶3. (SBU) To address the infrastructure reconstruction needs and to highlight the Costa Rican private sector,s sense of corporate responsibility, a group of firms joined forces to help with the post-flooding reconstruction. Calling themselves Empresarios Solidarios (Businessmen for Solidarity),the loose consortium was drawn from financial, engineering, construction, and media firms under the informal leadership of Grupo Nacion, which owns the nation,s leading newspaper. The group,s ambitious initial plan, as briefed to the Ambassador and Emboffs on October 29, was to raise USD 1 million to rebuild eight bridges leading to isolated communities around the nation. The group deliberately targeted not only areas in need, but also zones which had voted against CAFTA during the October 2007 national referendum. The group also sought to distance itself from the GOCR, partially because the businessmen believed they could work faster than the government, and partly because they wanted to ensure the private sector received due credit. The preliminary USG role, according to the Empresarios, would be to help locate, deliver or supply Bailey or ACROW bridging material. ====================== THE GOCR ASKS FOR HELP ====================== ¶4. (SBU) Through November and December, Emboffs were invited to join the weekly planning meetings of the Empresarios group. The ODR Chief and his staff, as well as Pol/C and Poloffs, participated. Our first objective was GOCR support for the bridges plan, which would help facilitate any formal request for assistance. In a letter from President Arias to the Ambassador on November 5 (copy sent to WHA/CEN and SOUTHCOM),we received both. Arias,s letter expressed satisfaction with and gratitude for the Empresarios, initiative, and asked for any assistance the USG could provide. Following a late-November call from the Ambassador to SOUTHCOM (Adm. Stavrides),SOUTHCOM and Post ODR staff began considering specific ways the USG could help. ================= REFINING THE PLAN ================= ¶5. (SBU) Our second objective was to persuade the Empresarios to coordinate with the CNE to ensure that any private sector bridge reconstruction meshed with national needs. Despite the group,s initial reluctance to work with the GOCR, they quickly realized that CNE expertise and cooperation would be essential. As the weekly meetings continued (with CNE involvement),the Empresarios, plan was refined. The group would target communities in need, financing and building bridges which had been washed out by the rain (and not structures the Ministry of Transport planned to improve or replace at some point.) The group hoped the bridges would be just the first step in a long-term private sector commitment to infrastructure improvement. ¶6. (U) By the end of November, the CNE and the Empresarios had agreed to work first on a list of 15 priority short-span (less than 15 meters in length) bridges. All would be constructed using local materials (concrete) and local labor. The total cost was projected to be over USD 1 million, exhausting what the business group had collected to that point. The group planned to approach additional companies (including some U.S. multinationals) for additional contributions. The Empresarios (wisely) postponed their original plans to spend money on a few, more impressive (but far more costly) longer-span structures. ================= SOUTHCOM RESPONDS ================= ¶7. (SBU) Our third objective was to focus and refine the USG role. Initially, the Empresarios group had inflated expectations about what the U.S. could provide, and how quickly. By early December, we had re-shaped the potential USG role to a realistic four components: a) survey the longer-span bridge sites the CNE had already identified, b) provide technical assistance to the CNE to erect replacement Bailey- or ACROW-type bridges, c) actually erect a Bailey- or ACROW-type bridge, using a deployed U.S. military unit, and d) if necessary in the future, help locate, find the best price and help arrange transportation for additional Bailey or ACROW bridging materials, to be funded by the Empresarios group. At an Embassy-hosted meeting on December 10, the CNE and Empresarios agreed to this approach. ¶8. (U) December 17-21, a two-member engineering team from SOUTHCOM (an Army engineer and a Navy Seabee) joined CNE engineers and POLOFF on a survey of six longer-span bridging sites which may be candidates for USG technical assistance. The six sites spanned the length and breadth of Costa Rica, from the central Pacific to the central Caribbean, and from the central south to near the Nicaraguan border, covering parts of Puntarenas, Heredia and Guanacaste provinces and the canton of Perez Zeledon. The engineers also inspected stored bridging materials, to ensure that what was assigned to each site would indeed function there. ¶9. (U) As a result of the team,s four-day, 800-mile circuit, the U.S. engineers were able to identify and recommend alternative sites for two of the six bridges, as well as additional engineering work to be performed at all sites, such as new abutments, box culverts and improved access. The U.S. team also recommended raising some bridges to above flood level, to avoid future problems. Finally, one bridge was identified as being in need of maintenance and improvements, but not of complete replacement. The CNE director and his engineering staff agreed with and welcomed the recommendations. ========== NEXT STEPS ========== ¶10. (U) The Empresarios Group is to resume regular meetings this month, with an eye to launching its initiative (and the first one or two short-bridge construction projects) at the end of January. For the longer-span bridges, the SOUTHCOM survey team will identify U.S. units (e.g., from Ft. Leonard Woord, the Army Corps of Engineers, the 416th Engineering Company or a USN SeaBee unit) that could deploy a small team to provide subject matter expertise to help the CNE erect new ACROW- or Bailey-type bridges, using materials the CNE already has on hand. The CNE must first complete its planning, which includes preparing the bridging site(s). The first U.S.-assisted bridge site could be the 32 meter gap across the Pacuar River, in Perez Zeledon canton (N 09 22, 29.7" x W 084 01, 21.9"),at the end of March, if the GOCR completes the site preparations in time. ======= COMMENT ======= ¶11. (SBU) What began as an effort to highlight corporate responsibility following the hard-fought CAFTA referendum has become another opportunity to display USG "soft power" on Costa Rica. The businessmen deserve credit for launching this unusual initiative and for obtaining the letter from President Arias. The CNE deserves kudos for being receptive to the private sector assistance. Our goal is capacity-building, not doing everything for the Ticos, and the GOCR (and the Empresarios) seem to agree. Even if the ambitious private sector plan slows, the U.S. military has an important, high-impact (and low-cost) role to play in providing technical assistance. Our thanks to SOUTHCOM and the units involved for responding so quickly to this opportunity. BRENNAN